Firefly

The last example of this well-armed reconnaissance 'Mech was thought to have been destroyed during the Second Succession War. Rumors that the Firefly might survive in isolated parts of the Periphery persisted for two centuries, but no one expected it to appear in numbers so large as it did with Wolf's Dragoons. The Firefly is one of the Dragoons' most important 'Mechs, serving in light lances and compiling an excellent performance record.

Third-hand reports picked up by a ROM agent in the St. Ives Compact indicate that the Dragoons are planning the following field modifications to further improve the Firefly’s performance...

Note: Information used here was the domain of FASA before they split the rights between Wizkids LLC and Microsoft (table-top gaming and video games respectively). Copyright of the fluff text is in limbo, but names of persons, places, & things are without any doubt the property of Wizkids LLC. Use of any terms here related to the BattleTech trademark are not meant as a challenge to Wizkids LLC's rights.

Firefly was a "space western" on Fox from Joss Whedon, the mind behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The premise is as follows: After a galactic civil war, a force known as the Alliance now governs the planets. Those who don't agree with Alliance rule have resigned themselves to life on and around the border planets, where the Alliance doesn't have quite as much power. The crew and passengers of the transport vessel Serenity (a Firefly class ship), all trying to avoid the Alliance for one reason or another, look for legitimate work where they can get it, but will also take on less legit work if the pay is right.

Show Status

Serenity (Firefly: The Motion Picture!)
In theaters (US, at least) September 30. See it early, see it often.

Firefly: The DVD Set!
The Complete Series DVD set is now available. It includes all episodes (including 3 that were unaired), commentary on "Serenity," "The Train Job," "Shindig," "Out of Gas," "War Stories," "Objects in Space," and "The Message," along with featurettes, a gag reel, and deleted scenes from a couple of episodes.

Who's Who?

Nathan Fillion - Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds
Nathan Fillion can next be seen in "Slither", which is listed as filming now on IMDB. And, like the rest of the cast, he'll also be in the upcoming "Serenity" feature film.

Serenity (original pilot) - Airdate 12/20/02Here's a brilliant idea, if you're Fox: don't actually air the pilot episode as the pilot. Serenity is the real pilot episode, but for reasons I still don't get, was actually aired LAST on Fox. Here we meet the crew and the Alliance. Written and Directed by Joss Whedon.

The Train Job (Fox pilot) - Airdate 9/20/02
Mal and the crew are hired to rob a train, but have second thoughts when they discover what they've stolen.

Bushwhacked - Airdate 9/27/02
The Serenity comes across an abandoned ship that was ransacked by Reavers, a group of vicious pirates. To make matters worse, an Alliance ship shows up while Mal and the crew are taking supplies from the abandoned ship.

Shindig - Airdate 11/1/02
Mal finds himself in a sword duel after defending Inara's honor at a high-society party.

Safe - Airdate 11/8/02
Simon and River are kidnapped, and Shepherd Book is badly hurt in an ambush. With their doctor unavailable, Mal decides to take Book to an Alliance hospital.

Now that Firefly has been canceled, there are several puzzles that us Firefly fans may never know the answers to. Among these are:

The relationship between Mal and Inara. It is obvious that Inara is in love with Mal. Mal may feel the same way, however we see only one or two glimpses of these underlying feelings during the few aired episoses. It would have been interesting to see how their relationship evolved during the course of the series.

The relationship between Book and Inara. It is very possible that Book and Inara crossed paths before meeting again on Serenity. They show a casual familiarity in the pilot episode that goes beyond new acquaintances. It is strongly implied that Book's first occupation was not a preacher, and has his own trouble he's running from. He has, or at some time has had, some importance in/to the Alliance, as in one episode he produces an unknown ID Card to Alliance soldiers, who immediately whisk him off to their hospital. He is also intimately knowledgeable in firearms, and is quite capable with them. I personally believe that Book was an Alliance soldier ...

There are many chinese phrases spoken between the characters, chinese imagery and writing in many of the cityscapes we see. I'm not sure if this serves to demonstrate blending of cultures from the old earth, if there is some deeper meaning, or if the writers just really liked the stuff and included it.

Book: After the Earth was used up, we found a new solar system and hundreds of new Earths were terra formed and colonized. The central planets formed the Alliance and decided all the planets had to join under their rule. There was some disagreement on that point. After the War, many of the Independents who had fought and lost drifted to the edges of the system, far from Alliance control. Out here, people struggled to get by with the most basic technologies; a ship would bring you work, a gun would help you keep it. A captain's goal was simple: find a crew, find a job, keep flying.

Serenity and her Crew

Serenity is a Firefly class vessel. She's out of date, usually running low on fuel, and on more than one occasion she's been adrift. The Firefly class is a favorite of smugglers because they feature a lot of hard-to-find nooks and crannies that are perfect for hiding things from the Alliance. Fireflies may be out of date, but parts aren't too hard to track down, and there are certainly worse boats to ride in.

Kaylee: That's my girl. That's my good girl.

Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds - Nathan FillionMal is the captain and owner of Serenity. He was a Browncoat soldier, ranked sergeant, in the war against the Alliance. He was particularly heroic in the battle of Serenity Valley, from which Serenity gets her name. Mal is an honest man when it matters. He has no love for the Alliance, but he's not going to steal from the sick either. He's been around the block a few times, and if you try to fool him, you're likely to get shot. Mal does the job, and then he gets paid.

Mal: You can't open the book of my life and jump in the middle. Like woman, I'm a mystery.

Zoë (Alleyne) Washburn¹ - Gina TorresZoë is Mal's first mate and his old war buddy. They fought together in Serenity Valley. Mal trusts Zoë unconditionally, and with good reason. She brings a fresh perspective to the crew's problems, and she keeps her calm extremely well. Zoë is married to Wash, and although they don't seem the best match, they're both very happy. Zoë's weapon of choice bears a resemblance to a shotgun, and on at least one occasion she is known to be wearing body armor.

Zoë: You paid money for this, sir? On purpose?

Hoban "Wash" Washburn - Alan TudykWash is Serenity's pilot and Zoë's husband. He holds onto his childhood through his humor and toys (he has plastic dinosaurs), and he's a capable pilot, but he's not of much use with a firearm. Wash's strength lies in his quick wit and piloting abilities. He is often used as comic relief because it is believable for his character to make a joke regardless of the situation.

Jayne Cobb - Adam BaldwinJayne is dirty, crass, vulgar, mean, and a whole lot of fun. He is a stereotypicaljock. He likes money, guns, knives, women, food, and not much else. He's quick to change sides in a fight if it's to his advantage, and he looks out for himself before any others. He cares about the crew of Serenity, but he's not prone to let them (or anybody else) know it.

Mal: You've only got to scare him.Jayne: Pain is scary.

Kaywinnit Lee "Kaylee" Frye - Jewel StaiteKaylee is innocent, sweet, and a child at heart. A teddy bear can be seen on her mechanic's coveralls, and she is known to have a crush on Dr. Tam. She is very interested in both machines and their workings and Inara's aristocratic and fancy life as a Companion. Despite having no official training in the field, she is an extremely capable mechanic, and Serenity and her crew wouldn't be around without her.

Mal: Kaylee, what the hell's going on in the engine room? Were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?

Inara Serra - Morena BaccarinInara is Serenity's resident Companion. Mal refers to her as "Ambassador" which isn't too far from the truth. Traveling with a Companion opens doors for Serenity that might otherwise remain closed. Inara is close to Kaylee, and she obviously cares for Mal, who at least in some capacity reciprocates. Inara is her own woman, and she won't be pushed around by anyone. Her quarters are a shuttle rented from Mal, and she's been known to help on a caper or two, as well.

Jayne: Hey, do you have any funny whorin' stories?Inara: Oh, do I ever. Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will.

Dr. Simon Tam - Sean MaherSimon isn't like the others. He grew up wealthy and privileged. He attended the best schools and studied to become a doctor. He finished his internship early and took a position as a trauma surgeon in an Alliance hospital. It is because of his sister, River, that he encounters Serenity and her crew, and it is his talents as a medic that keep him aboard. Simon is uncomfortable much of the time, but his need to help River keeps him going.

Simon: I'm trying to think of a way for you to be cruder. I just... It's not coming.

River Tam - Summer GlauRiver is Simon's sister. She is (or was) incredibly intelligent. Everything came naturally to River, regardless of subject or complexity. She was good at physics and chemistry as well as dance. She wanted to attend an Alliance-sponsored academy for gifted children. Her parents agreed and she went. Then she changed. Her correspondence to Simon quit making sense, and he chose to give up his life to get her out. River and Simon are currently wanted fugitives, and nobody is quite certain what the Alliance was doing to the students.

Wash: Little River just gets more colorful by the moment. What'll she do next?Zoë: Either blow us all up or rub soup in her hair. It's a toss-up.Wash: I hope she does the soup thing. It's always a hoot, and we don't all die from it.

Shepherd Book - Ron GlassBook is something of a mystery. He's the only character not given a full name, and his past is hidden from the other characters. He claims to be a man of God from an abbey on Persephone, but the respect given to him by the Alliance suggests he is more than a simple preacher. Book vocalizes his morals to the crew, he isn't afraid to hold the least popular opinion, and he is a remarkably versatile member of the crew.

Kaylee: How come you don't care where you're going?Book: 'Cause how you get there is the worthier part.

Folks our "Big Damn Heroes" Run Into

Reavers - Firefly features no aliens whatsoever, but Reavers are pretty close. They're space crazies, for lack of a better term. Reavers started out as men isolated from civilization and laws. They gradually lost their sanity and began to cut on themselves. Then they started to cut on everybody else they could find. Reavers rape, pillage, kill, and steal. They have neither friends nor enemies, only prey. Stay away if you can.

Zoë: They'll rape us to death, eat our flesh and sew our skin to their clothes. And if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order.

Badger - Badger is a lowlife crime lord living on Persephone. He is top dog in his self-described "den of thieves," and despite offering Mal and his crew work he is none too fond of them. He describes himself as an upstanding businessman with roots in the community, but Jayne's opinion, that he's a "puddle of piss," is closer to the truth. Badger won't hesitate to do whatever it takes to save his skin or make a profit.

Sir Warrick Harrow: I know [Badger]. And I think he's a psychotic lowlife.Mal: And I think calling him that is an insult to the psychotic lowlife community.

Patience - Patience and Mal go back a ways. The implication is that Patience used to be in much the same position as Mal, a captain barely getting by. Now she owns nearly half of Whitefall, a terra formed moon. Mal's got something to sell her, and she'd like to have it, but she's not looking to buy. Patience is a skilled negotiator and she's not prone to walk into a situation she's not in control of.

Zoë: Sir, we don't want to deal with Patience again.Mal: Why not?Zoë: She shot you.Mal: Well, yeah, she did a bit.

Adelei Niska - Niska is, to simplify, not a nice man. He is very interested in reputations and either proving them true or killing the parties attached to them. Niska's sidekick is Claw, so named for his weapon of choice. Neither is pleasant. They are even less so when things don't work out as planned.

Mal: [Niska]'s not the first psycho to hire us nor the last. You think that's a commentary on us?

The Anglo-Sino Alliance - The Alliance is the governing body of the Firefly universe. Nobody aboard Serenity is terribly fond of them. Mal and Zoë fought them in Serenity Valley. Simon and River are running from them. Book seems both to have Alliance ties and to be running from his past. The Alliance is large, bloated, and uncaring. This is especially apparent in "The Train Job."

Mal: [The Alliance] couldn't let us profit...wouldn't be civilized.

Firefly, ultimately, is more about the people and their troubles than the science-fiction and western themes. You'll grow to love the characters, and you'll notice new details about their world in each episode (for example, when the camera is in space, there is no sound and the turret Mal uses in "Serenity, Part 1" was made by Weyland Yutani of the Alien movie franchise). Joss Whedon creates complex characters who inhabit a huge and detailed world. Their stories are compelling, and it's a crime to storytellers everywhere that it lasted only a fraction of one season.

Sources:http://www.imdb.comhttp://www.fireflyfans.netThe DVD box set

Zoë's name is something of a sticky situation. According to materials and literature distributed while Firefly ran, Zoë's maiden name is Warren. According to the Serenity visual companion (penned by Joss Whedon), her maiden name is Alleyne. I'm inclined to believe Mr. Whedon. They are his characters, after all.

For starters, fireflies are not flies. "Flies" have one pair of wings (like houseflies) while all other winged insects have two pairs of wings, or, four wings altogether. Usually when the common name of an insect contains the word "fly" as part of a one word common name such as firefly, dragonfly or scorpionfly, the insects are not true flies and belong to another order of insects. ("Housefly," a true fly, is an exception to this rule.)

Most known firefly species are bioluminescent as adults. However, all known firefly larvae are bioluminescent, as are firefly eggs. Also not all bioluminescent beetles are of the family Lampyridae, the true fireflies. Related beetle families that have bioluminescent members include some click beetles (family Elateridae), phengodid beetles (family Phengodidae) and several other very small families.

So, what is the purpose of lighting up like this? A few things we know, many ideas are the subject of speculation. It is thought that the larvae of fireflies have a bad taste to most predators, and that the light is intended to signal that fact. (It is known that mice, for example, will avoid such larvae.) In the adult, males seem attracted to females by exchange of a species-specific code of light signals. Perhaps this outweighs the obvious disadvantage of being so visible to predators; perhaps the adults, too, are bad-tasting.

Fireflies produce light via a chemical reaction consisting of Luciferin (a substrate) combined with Luciferase (an enzyme), ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and oxygen. When these components are added, light is produced. In essence the ATP, a potent energy source, is oxidized in the process.

There are several theories on how fireflies control the "on" and "off" of their photic organs; no one knows for sure. Perhaps the beetle controls the oxygen supply to the photic organ for use in the chemical reaction; perhaps some other messenger molecule is involved. In any case, very little heat is released: the animal remains cool though glowing.

Fireflies, both as adults and as larvae, like warmth and water, and are often found near the edges of streams or ponds. Some Asian species are fully aquatic (due to the presence of tracheal gills) and live underwater, feeding on aquatic snails. The greatest number of species are found in tropical Asia and Central and South America.

They occur, of course, in the eastern United States, where children catch them in jars on warm summer nights. If you live west of Kansas, however, you will never or almost never see one, though there are plenty of suitable habitats in the west. No one knows why they are not found there.

firefly populations are higher than ever,
they're filling niches in conversations
and laying eggs in gray matter grooves,
cranial pressures are critical so
the buggers slip out of gaps in our smiles
and escape into the silent air
like it's the end of a flyswatter

the suburbs get prettier
for the grazing beastsas their numbers increase:
who needs TV with
a light show out back
and some good company?

but the developers never agreed,
their insights indicate that insects
are mental clutter
in need of A-frame cookie-cutters
that we can fill with gas to pass them painlessly
into drainage gutters and compost piles.
those guys couldn't be dumber, they're in denial
bugs are back like summer and bathroom tiles
bugs are back, and they're everywhere
for a million miles